Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 41.68
Liaison Natalie Sobrinski
Submission Date June 9, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Muhlenberg College
OP-22: Waste Minimization

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.61 / 5.00 Jim Bolton
Assistant Director
Plant Operations
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Waste generated::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 143.41 Tons 0 Tons
Materials composted 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials reused, donated or re-sold 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 605 Tons 815 Tons

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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 2,246 2,114
Number of residential employees 0 0
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 2,522.53 2,539.55
Full-time equivalent of employees 502 484
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 0 0

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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014
Baseline Year July 1, 2010 June 30, 2011

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A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The baseline year was adopted because the waste removal was being handled by a different vendor.

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A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:
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A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
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A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Muhlenberg College does have a surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates the reuse of materials through Purchasing and Plant Operations.

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A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Muhlenberg College default policy is still to print course catalogs, course schedules, and directories, but a project is in the works to instead makes them available online.

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A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:
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A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Muhlenberg College has had a program in the past and may in the future again have a program to reduce residence hall move-out waste.

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A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
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A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:
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A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:
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A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:
Muhlenberg College has a trayless dining program in which trays are removed from or not available in dining halls.

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A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):
Muhlenberg College’s campus dining operations do not provide reusable containers for to-go food; these containers are returned to dining operations for cleaning and re-use. Currently, Wood Dining Commons has compostable to-go boxes and silverware. We are looking into a pilot program. This program would include students putting down a deposit for the semester, and Wood Dining Commons would clean the boxes after they were returned.

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A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):
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A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:
Muhlenberg College’s campus dining operations offer discounts to customers who use reusable mugs instead of disposable cups in to-go food service operations. . Discounts are offered as an incentive to use reusable bottles. At the General Quarters, all refills are only $1.29. At Java Joe’s the coffee shop on campus mug refills are $0.899, any size reusable container is accepted.

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A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:
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The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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